Instructional design/Introduction to Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation/Level One Evaluation Item Types

Introduction[edit | edit source]

Now that you have identified the level 1 target areas, let's proceed to the next step in the process of creating your own survey.

What do the following have in common?

If you answered all of them are questions from a level 1 evaluation or reaction sheet, you are right! While there are many types of questions you can include in a level one evaluation, these survey questions fall into two main categories: closed-ended and open-ended.

Closed-ended questions[edit | edit source]

When you want learners to choose from a given set of possible responses that you have pre-determined, use this type of question. Closed-ended questions enable you to collect quantitative data that are easy to analyze after data collection. The main closed-ended questions used in a survey are Likert-scaled questions and multiple choice questions.

Likert-scaled questions[edit | edit source]

Likert-scaled questions allow learners to select a response from a given range of fixed choice responses containing a balanced number of positive and negative response that best matches their opinion. Remember to use this type of question when you want Learners to select only one response. The original Likert scale consists of five points, however there are other variations, such as a seven-point scale and six-point scale. Below is a typical five-point scale that measures agreement:^[1]

1—Strongly Disagree, 2—Disagree, 3—Neither Agree Nor Disagree, 4—Agree, 5—Strongly Agree.

You may also use variations of the Likert scale.

Example
Innovate Technologies wants to find out what new employees think about their orientation program. Here are two examples of Likert-scaled questions (with slight variations in the scale) to include in a level one evaluation:

I found the orientation program's content easy to follow.

The trainer's presentation style kept me engaged.

Multiple choice questions[edit | edit source]

Multiple-choice questions allow learners to select one or more than one response from a given set of possible choices. When using this type of question, make sure all the answer choices are valid. When applicable, include “Other” as one of the choices. This type of question is useful when you want to find out what learners' top preferences are.

Example
Stratford Healthcare wants to find out whether employees like the current duration of their IT training sessions or prefer other choices. Here’s an example of multi-choice question to include in a level one evaluation:

During an 8-hour session, I like:
one 15-minute break and one hour-long break
two 10-minute breaks and one 45-minute break
three 20-minute breaks
Others. Please specify:___________________

Open-ended questions[edit | edit source]

When you want to collect detailed feedback from your learners about a certain aspect of the training, use this type of question. Open-ended questions are a great way to collect qualitative data (i.e. data that does not include any numbers or figures). Use these type of questions to get descriptive input from participants, and their suggestions on key areas.